Sheet-metal box



L. GERHARDT.

5 i 'm] 72' INVENTOR 1 ml! mm] 3 I V 3 lBYizzlsTTRNEY Feb. 27, 1923.

1,446,458., L. GER-HARDT. V

SHEET METAL BOX.

FILED MAR. 15, 1919. I 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR Leonard fiez-ardz BY ms AT WNW/7g remiss rat. 2?, i923,

hath i538 LEONARD GEBHAR-DT, 03F BALTIMZORE, IHARYLAND, ASSIGNGE TO TIN DECORATING COMPANY OF BALTIlKOE/E, OF BALTIFIORE, IHARYLAND, A CGRPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

snnnrianran BOX.

AppIication filed March is, 1919. Serial No. ceases.

tin and other sheet metals. In the present instance, I have, by way of illustration,

shown my invention as embodied in the.

form of a box for containing candy, but I wish it to be understood that it not of course limited to this particular purpose, as the box may be made as a receptacle for other commodities, especially those of a perishable nature liable to be affected by atmospheric conditions.

As is well known, it is the practice at the present day to pack confectionery and other food products in fancy boxes, and one popular style of boxis that wherein both the cover and the body section are provided with continuous horizontally projecting flanges or edges having a characteristic appearance and known in the art and trade as extension ledges or extension edges. Heret cfore these boxes have been made from cardboard, box-board and similar material, and although very neat, possess certain disadvantages, due to the inherent natureof the material used in their construction. For example, it is diiiicult to exclude air and moisture unless the box is wrapped in an outer covering of paper or the like, and furthermore, such boxes, owing to the fragile nature of the material used are liable to be crushed in transportation and in handiing Withmy invention, however, I eliminate the disadvantages incident to the ordinary flanged card-board box and not only do I retain the attractive features of such neat box, but in addition thereto, my structure possesses important advantages. For instance, by making the box of sheet metal, such as tin, and by the method herein described, I provide a strongydurable, rigid container from Which the air and moisture will he et- -tectively excludedwhen the box is packed with the goods, thereby maintaining the latter fresh and in good condition. Furthermore, the box may be ornamented or lithographed with any desired design, or to suit the individual taste of the manufacturer or merchant, and will provide a strong, permanent and sanitary containerv Another object of my invention is the provision of a box made by such a method that the sheet metal used in its construction may be economically cut from large sheets, without undue wastage, and the parts constitut ing both the cover and the body portion of the box may be readily assembled. Inasmuch as both thecover and thebody sec tions of the box are substantially duplicates, they may be made and assembled on the same machine, thus dispensing with the use of separate sets of machines for making the cover and the body.

With the above recited objects and others ot a similar nature in view, my invention consists in the box and-in "the method of making the same set forth in. and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In Figures 1 to 7 inclusive I have shown the various parts used in the manufacture of a shallow box, while in Figures 8 to 11 inclusive, 1 have shown the parts used in the constructionot a relatively deep box, or one having the side walls thereof of sub sta-ntially double the height illustrated by Figures 1 to 7; inclusive.

In the accompanying drawings,

. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet metal blank used for makingthe top and bottom walls of the shallow box.

v Figure 2 is a perspective View of the flanged strip which is to be. formed to constitute the sides of the box.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the blank shownv in Figure 1, with three oi the edge portions thereof rolled or folded inward to form flanges. i

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the strip of l igure 2 bent to form the four side walls of the box.

. Figure 5 a fragmentary pere 'iective view, partly in section, ani'lshowing how the side walls are assembled on the "flanged blank. I i

Figure 6 is a perspective view, of the as sembled side walls and bottom.

the body and cover of the modified form.

of box,

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing this modified form of box in its closed position, as when containing goods. I will first describe the shallow form of box shown in Figures 1 to 7, and will subsequently describe the modified form, or deep box, shown in Figures 8 to 11. I

Referring to Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, the letter A indicates a blank of sheet metal, such as tin or the like, of approximately rectangular form, with the exception that its corners are notched or cut away, as shown atl, In the manufacture of a box of the kind herein shown, I use two of these blanks, one for the bottom and one forthe top. I then provide a strip, such as is shown at B in Figure 2, which is also made of sheet metal, such as tin, and. this strip, when in flat form, is notched at intervals at one longitudinal edge portion, as shown at 2, and this notched edge portion is then bent at right angles to the body of the strip to form the side flanges 3, and the end flanges 4 the strip being then bent into the form of an open frame. One end of the strip is notched at one corner, as at 5, and bent into hook form, as indicated at 6. The other end of the'strip is notched as at 7 and bent to form a hook, such as is shown at 8; The continuous, or unn'otehed edge of the strip may then be rolled over inward, to form a beaded edge, indicated at 9. In making the box, the side edge portions of the blank A are first rolled or bent inward to form hoolbs'haped flanges shown at 10, and then one end edgeportion of the blank is likewise rolled inward to form the hook shaped flange 11, The strip shown in Figure 2 when it has been notched, beaded and flanged as described, is bent at the notched portions into the form 01 an open frame to provide the two side walls 1.2 and the two end walls 13, with the hooked end 8 of the strip in engagement with the hooked end 6 to form the interlocking joint 14 at one corner. Thus the walls which are made into a substantially continuous rectangular frame, constituting the side walls of the box, may now he slipped onto the flanged bottom shown in F igure 3 so that the side wall flanges 3 will lie beneath the sine flanges 10 of the bottom, and so that one of the end wall flanges l will lie beneath the end flange 11. The end portion 11 of the bottom member may now be folded over the adjacent end wall flange 4 so that the body of the box will be completed, as is shown in Figure 6, that is to say, the er tensions or flanges of the side walls will be completely covered by the inwardly bent flanges of the bottom and the side walls will be intimately and permanently united to the bottom to form the body of the box, which will appear as shown in Figure 6, and in cross section as shown in full lines in Figure 7 The same method is resorted to in making the cover of the box which is shown in dotted lines in Figure 7 in position to be applied to the body of the box, the cover being indicated by the letter C. The cover is made of such dimension as to telescope upon the body of the box, that is to say so that the depending walls of the cover will slip or fit easily yet snugly over the side walls of the body of the box so that the covermay be applied with facility and pressed downward until its bottom edge contacts with the extension flanges of the body. Thus, the goods will be completely enclosed in a double wall of metal, and an airtight and moistureproofstructure will be provided which will prevent deterioration of the goods through atmospheric influences or other causes.

In Figures 8 to 11, I have shown the modified form of box, which in many respeots is similar to that illustrated by Fig ures 1 to 7 inclusive, only the side walls of the body are of double height when compared with the cover, and the body of this box is provided with a median shoulder against which the bottom edge of the cover may rest. The cover of the box is shown at D- and is made as heretofore described when referring to Figures 1 to '7; The body of this modified form of box is shown at E and the side walls thereof are made from a strip F, which is similar in many respects to the strip shown in Figure 2, except that it is relatively wide, for instance, twice the widthoi the strip shown in Figure 2, and is formed with a median shoulder 1.5 so that when this strip is bent into rectangular term to form the two side and end walls of thebody of the box, and is assembled on the bottom of the latter, the completed body. portion will appear as shown at E in Figure 9. In assenibling the cover upon the,

body of the box, the former is pressed down until its bottom edge rests against the shoal der 15, and the completely covered box will appear as shown in Figure 11.

For the purpose of illustration and a clear understanding" of the invention, I have shown a rectangular modified form of box, both 111 the referred and modified fans,

but I wish it to be understood that my inventi on is not limited to this particular form of box, as it may be made in other shapes,

in which the flange joints between the bottom and side walls or the box providewhat is known in the art and trade asextension ledges or extension edges, these extension edges providing a peculiar and char acteris-tic appearance well known in the trade. I desire it therefore to be understood that wherein in the following claims I use the term extension. edge or extension ledge I meanto designate that type of box flange which, presents the character istic appearance known to the trade as an extension ledge construction.

While I have herein shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to all the precise details herein set forth by way of illustration, as modification and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope. of the appended claims. For instance, the top wall of the cover instead. of being fla=t,as shown herein, might be slightly convex. or curved, to give it a rounded or cushion effect, which is incident to many of the boxes now on the market.

What I claim is: I

1. An extension-edge sheet metal box comprising a body section and a cover section, the body section having a side wall portion and a bottom portion joined to gether by a flat multiply flange joint extending laterally of the side wall portion and lying substantially in. the plane of the bottom portion and forming a continuous marginal flange at the bottom of the box; and the cover section including a top having a multiply flange extending therefrom and substantially in. the plane of thesaid top, the multiply flanges of both sections lying in substantially parallel planes when the box is closed and extending laterally of the box body a substantial. distance and forming characteristic extension-edges or extension-ledges therefor.

2. An extension-edge sheet metal box comprising a body section and a cover section, the body section having a side wall portion and a bottom portion joined to gether by a flat multiply flange joint extending laterally of the side wall portion and lying substantially in the plane of the bottom portion and forming a continuous marginal flange at the bottom of the box and the cover section having a depending wall portion and a top portion joined tog gether by a flat multiply flange joint extending laterally of the wall portion and lying substantially in the plane of the top portion and forming a continuous marginal flange at the top ofthe box; the top and bottom marginal flanges extending from the box body a substantial distance and forming;

characteristic. extension-edges or extension-ledges therefor.

3. An extension-edge sheet metal box comprising a body and a cover, the said body comprising'abottom plate-like section hav-' ing its edges inturned to provide a surrounding marginal flange and a vertical wall section made of a strip of metal bent in the form of an open frame and provided at its bottom with outwardly turned edge flanges disposed in. interlocking engagement with the inturned edges of the said plate-like section and forming therewith a substantially continuous flange joint at the bottom of the box and the saidcover comprising a topplate-like sectio'n having its edges inturned and a strip of'metal provided at its top with outwardly turned edge flanges disposed in interlocking engagement with the inturned edges of the said top plate-like section and forming therewith a flange joint at the top of the box, the said flange joints extending laterally of the box body a substantial distance and forming characteristic extension-edges or extension-ledges.

4. An extension-edge sheet metal box comprising a body and a cover, said body comprising a bottom plate-like section having its edges inturned to provide a surrounding marginal flange and a vertical wall section made of a strip of metal bent in the form of an open frame having its top edges inturned to form a marginal bead and provided at its bottom with outwardly turned edge flanges disposed in interlocking engagement with the inturned edges of said plate-like section and forming therewith a substantially continuous flange joint in the plane of the said bottom section; and the said cover comprising a top plate-like section having its edges inturned and a strip of metal having its bottom edges inturned to provide a marginteristic extensioneedges or extensionledgesf" A n extension edge sheet metalbox comprising a-body and a cover, the said body comprising a bottom plate-like section having, its edges inturned' to, provide a surrounding marginal flange and a vertical wall section made of a strip of metal bent in the form of an open frame and provided at its bottom with outwardly turned edge flanges disposed in interlocking engagement withthe int-urned-- edges of the said platelike section and forming therewith a substantially continuous flange joint at the bot tom of the box; and the said cover comprising a top plate-like sectionhaving its edges.

inturned and a strip of metal provided at its top with outwardly turned edge flanges disposed in interlocking engagement with the inturned edges of the said top platelike section and forming therewith a flange joint at the top of the box the said cover strip having a telescopic connection. with the vertical wallstrip of the box body, the

, said flange joints extending laterally of the box body a substantial distance and forming characteristic extension-edges or extension-ledges. a

6. A two-part extension edge sheet metal box comprising abody portion and a .cover portion telescoping therewith, said portions being substantial duplicates one .of the other, the bodyportion having a multiply flange extending laterally from the bottom o part thereof, the cover portion having asimilar flange extending laterally from the top thereof, the multiply flanges of both por tions lying in substantially parallel planes when the box is closed and extending a sub stantial distance from the box body and forming characteristic extension-edges or extension-ledges therefor.

7. A two-part extension-edge polygonal sheet metal box comprising a polygonal body portion and a cover portion, the body poro tion having a multiply flange extending therefrom and substantially in the plane of the bottom thereof, the cover portion including top having a multiply flange extending therefrom and substantially in the plane ofjthe said top; the; multiply flanges of both portions lying in substantially parallel planes when the box is closed and extendingv laterally of the box-body a sub stantial distance and forming characteristic extension-edges or extension-ledges therefor. v

S. An extension-edge sheet metal box comprising a body section and a cover section, the body section having a side wall portion and a bottom portion joined together by a flat multiply flange oint extending laterally extending laterallyof the box body a sub stantial distance and. forming characteris tic extension-edges or extension-ledges therefor. 1

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. v

' LEONARD GERHARDT. 

